Communication system with PIM entry synchronization and related methods

ABSTRACT

A communication system ( 30 ) may include a mobile wireless communications device ( 35   a - 35   c ) associated with an account including an ordered master set ( 80 ) of personal information manager (PIM) entries ( 81   a - 81   c ) for a type of PIM data. The mobile wireless communications device may be configured to store an ordered subset ( 85 ) corresponding to the ordered master set of PIM entries for the type of PIM data. The communication system may also include a synchronization server ( 32 ) configured to synchronize the mobile wireless communications device and the account by mapping an PIM entry ( 81   d ) from the ordered master set to fill the ordered subset responsive to deletion of a PIM entry ( 86   c ) from the ordered subset. For example, the PIM data can include notes, journal entries, address book contents, lists, tasks, memos, calendar content (e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, appointments and meetings), reminders, account information (e.g. email, instant message and social networking account information), alerts, RSS feeds, and social networking status, etc.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/334,936, filed May 14, 2010, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and, moreparticularly, to mobile wireless communications and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Mobile communication systems continue to grow in popularity and havebecome an integral part of both personal and business communications. Amobile wireless communication device (also referred to herein as amobile device) may incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) featuressuch as calendars, address books, task lists, calculators, memo andwriting programs, media players, games, etc. These multi-function mobiledevices usually allow electronic mail (email) messages to be sent andreceived wirelessly, as well as access the Internet via a cellularnetwork and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.

In the typical mobile wireless communications device, the user mayconfigure the device to cooperate with a personal information manager(PIM) tool, for example, a PIM software application, such as MicrosoftOffice™. More specifically, the user may configure the mobile wirelesscommunications device to synchronize PIM data between the device'sdatabases and the PIM tool. The synchronized PIM data may include emailaddress, phone numbers, and mailing addresses, for example.

In some approaches, the mobile wireless communications device may beconfigured to synchronize the PIM data wirelessly over a wirelesscommunication network. Moreover, the mobile wireless communicationsdevice may be configured to synchronize PIM data with an email accountof the user rather than the PIM tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various embodiments described hereinand to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, referencewill now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawingswhich show at least one example embodiment and in which:

FIG. 1 is a detailed schematic block diagram of a communication system,according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of another example embodiment of thecommunication system, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the server from FIG. 2,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the ordered master set and the orderedsubset from the communication system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile devicethat may be used with the system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a communicationsubsystem component of the mobile device of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an example block diagram of a node of a wireless network.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating components of a host system inone example configuration for use with the wireless network of FIG. 7and the mobile device of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present description is made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which example embodiments are shown. However, manydifferent example embodiments may be used, and thus the descriptionshould not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forthherein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete. Like numbers refer to likeelements throughout.

An aspect is directed to a communication system including a mobilewireless communications device (also referred to herein as a mobiledevice) associated with an account including an ordered master set ofpersonal information manager (PIM) entries for a type of PIM data. Thesource of the PIM data may be from a PIM tool (e.g. task/memo tool,calendar application, address book application) or an email account.Furthermore, the PIM data may be any type of information stored in thePIM tool or email account. For example, the PIM data can include any ofthe following: notes, journal entries, address book contents, lists,tasks, memos, calendar content (e.g. birthdays, anniversaries,appointments and meetings), reminders, account information (e.g. email,instant message and social networking account information), alerts, RSSfeeds, and social networking status.

The mobile wireless communications device may be configured to store anordered subset corresponding to the ordered master set of PIM entriesfor the type of PIM data. The communication system may also include aserver configured to synchronize the mobile wireless communicationsdevice and the account by mapping at least one PIM entry from theordered master set to fill the ordered subset responsive to deletion ofa PIM entry from the ordered subset. Usefully, the deletion of the PIMentry in the master order set does not result in an undesired blankentry in the mobile wireless communications device's ordered subset ofPIM entries.

For example, the type of PIM data may include one of an email address ora telephone number. In some example embodiments, the mobile wirelesscommunications device may be configured to delete the PIM entry from theordered subset based upon a command. In other example embodiments, theserver may be configured to alternatively or additionally detect thedeletion of the PIM entry from the ordered subset.

More specifically, the server may be configured to synchronize themobile wireless communications device with the account on an emaildatabase, for example. For example, the email database may include atleast one of an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) email server, aPost Office Protocol (POP) email server, an Internet email server, and aMicrosoft Exchange™ email server. Additionally, the server may beconfigured to store mapping configuration data, for example, as aplurality of Extensible Markup Language (XML) files.

Another example embodiment is directed to a synchronization server in acommunication system including a mobile wireless communications deviceassociated with an account including an ordered master set of PIMentries for a type of PIM data. The mobile wireless communicationsdevice may store an ordered subset corresponding to the ordered masterset of PIM entries for the type of PIM data. The synchronization servermay include a processor and associated memory configured to synchronizethe mobile wireless communications device and the account by mapping atleast one PIM entry from the ordered master set to fill the orderedsubset responsive to deletion of a PIM entry from the ordered subset.

Another example embodiment is directed to a method of operating acommunication system including a server, and a mobile wirelesscommunications device associated with an account including an orderedmaster set of personal information manager (PIM) entries for a type ofPIM data. The mobile wireless communications device may store an orderedsubset corresponding to the ordered master set of PIM entries for thetype of PIM data. The method may include using the server to synchronizethe mobile wireless communications device and the account by mapping atleast one PIM entry from the ordered master set to fill the orderedsubset responsive to deletion of a PIM entry from the ordered subset.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, an example embodiment wirelesscommunication system 10 is now described. The wireless communicationsystem 10 illustratively includes a central server 11, a plurality ofemail sources 12 a-12 e communicating with the central server, a mailstore 13 cooperating with the central server, and a mobile device 35communicating with the central server. In an example embodiment, themobile device 35 is implemented as the mobile device 100 of FIG. 5. Thecentral server 11 illustratively includes wireless access protocol (WAP)server module 17 for communicating with the mobile device 35, and aHyper Text Markup Language (HTML) server module 15 for providing accessvia a web browser. The central server 11 illustratively includes aSimple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) module 21 cooperating with the WAPand HTML server modules 17 and 15. The SOAP module 21 is the componentthat allows other components in the central server 11 to get data to andfrom the database.

The central server 11 illustratively includes a configuration databasemodule 23 cooperating with the SOAP module 21 and storing configurationinformation. The central server 11 illustratively includes an engineservlet module 65 cooperating with the SOAP module 21. Further, theconfiguration database 23 illustratively includes a UP servlet module62, and a Direct Access Proxy (BDA) module 61 cooperating therewith.

The central server 11 illustratively includes a mail connector module 24communicating with the plurality of email sources 12 a-12 e, the mailconnector module being part of the UP servlet module 62. In an exampleembodiment, an email source is an email server employing a particularemail protocol such as, for example, an IMAP email server, a POP emailserver, and an Internet email server. The central server illustrativelyincludes an event server module 26 for handling Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP) notifications of new mail, etc. from the plurality ofemail sources 12 a-12 e, i.e. this module is used when an email sourcereceives a new email, in particular, a notification is sent to the eventserver module telling the central server 11 of the new email and thatthe server should go retrieve the new email and send it to the mobiledevice 35.

The BDA module 61 coordinates the base or generic email and PIM flowthrough the central server 11. The BDA module 61 manages thesynchronization of email, independent of the type of email source beingworked with, between the source and the mobile device 35 by using thedatabase to keep track of what the mobile device knows and what thesource email server knows. The UP servlet module 62 is the componentthat talks to different types of email sources, for example, Yahoo,Google, Hotmail, etc., and serves as a pass-though process to send andreceive email and PIM data to and from the email source. Theconfiguration database 23 illustratively includes a partition database64, which stores account information and mapping information to keep thesource email account in sync with the data on the mobile device 35, anda SAM module 63 cooperating therewith.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-3, another example embodiment communicationsystem 30 is now described. Moreover, with reference to a flowchart 40,which begins at Block 41, a method of operating the communication system30 is also described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example embodimentmethod. Some of the steps illustrated in the flowchart may be performedin an order other than that which is described. Also, it should beappreciated that not all of the steps described in the flowchart arerequired to be performed, that additional steps may be added, and thatsome of the illustrated steps may be substituted with other steps.

The communication system 30 illustratively includes a plurality ofmobile wireless communications devices 35 a-35 c, and a synchronizationserver 32 communicating therewith. (In another example embodiment, thecentral server 11 of FIG. 1 may be used instead of synchronizationserver 32.) The synchronization server 32 illustratively includes aprocessor 37 and a memory 38 cooperating therewith. Of course, in otherexample embodiments, the communication system 30 may include only onemobile wireless communications device. In an example embodiment, amobile wireless communication device is implemented as the mobile device100 of FIG. 5. For example, the plurality of mobile wirelesscommunications devices 35 a-35 c may include cellular devices and laptopcomputers. The synchronization server 32 is illustratively configured tocommunicate with a plurality of email sources 31 a-31 c. For example,the plurality of email sources 31 a-31 c illustratively includes an IMAPemail server 31 a, a POP email server 31 b, an Internet/MicrosoftExchange™ email server 31 c. Of course, this is an example list andother email sources such as email servers each employing a particularemail protocol, or PIM servers (not shown in FIG. 2), may be used.

Referring now additionally to FIG. 4, the mobile wireless communicationsdevice 35 c is associated with an account including an ordered masterset 80 of PIM entries 81A-81D for a type of PIM data, wherein theaccount having the ordered master set is illustratively stored at Emailserver 31 c. (In other example embodiments, the mobile wirelesscommunications devices 35 a, 35 b or 35 of FIG. 1 may be used insteadmobile wireless communications device 35 c, and one of the email sources12 a-12 e of FIG. 1 may be used instead of Email server 31 c). Forexample, the account may include an email account or some other accounthaving associated PIM data. For example, the type of PIM data mayinclude one of an email address or a telephone number. In other exampleembodiments, the account having the ordered master set 80 of PIM entriesmay be stored at a PIM server or a combination of at least one emailserver and at least one PIM server. (Block 43).

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, each mobile wirelesscommunications device 35 a-35 c may have a corresponding user, the userbeing associated with the aforementioned account and the ordered masterset 801 of PIM entries 81 a-81 d. As will also be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, the account stored at Email server 31 c may havegreater PIM data storage capabilities than the respective mobilewireless communications device 35 c, i.e. the account stored at Emailserver 31 c permits storage of a greater number of PIM data types and agreater number of entries for each type. Accordingly, the respectivemobile wireless communications device 35 c may be configured to storeand provide to the user (for the user's use with applications accessedat the mobile wireless communications device 35 c) an ordered subset 85of the ordered master set 80 of PIM entries 81 a-81 d for the type ofPIM data stored at Email server 31 c (Block 45). For example, in theillustrated example embodiment, the account at Email server 31 c maystore 10 email addresses 81 a-81 d for a contact, and the respectivemobile wireless communications device 35 c may store three emailaddresses 86 a-86 c for the contact, and the ordered subset 85illustratively includes the first three email addresses stored in theaccount at Email server 31 c.

The synchronization server 32 is illustratively configured tosynchronize the respective mobile wireless communications device 35 cand the account by mapping at least one PIM entry 81 d (at least oneadjacent PIM entry) from the ordered master set 80 stored at Emailserver 31 c to fill the ordered subset 85 at the mobile wirelesscommunications device 35 c, responsive to deletion of a PIM entry 86 c(deleted PIM entry shown with dashed lines at t₁) from the orderedsubset. In other words, when a PIM entry 86 c from the ordered subset 85stored at Email server 31 c is deleted (Blocks 47-48), the respectivemobile wireless communications device 35 c does not synchronize a blankfield resulting from the deleted PIM entry, but is provided (t₂),through the synchronization server 32, with a supplemental entry 81 d(PIM Entry 4) from the master ordered set 80 in the account stored atEmail server 31 c. In the illustrated example, the updated orderedsubset 85 illustratively includes three PIM entries 86 a, 86 b, 86 d.

In some example embodiments, the respective mobile wirelesscommunications device 35 c may delete the PIM entry 86 c from theordered subset 85 based upon a user command. In other exampleembodiments, the synchronization server 32 may alternatively oradditionally detect the deletion of the PIM entry 86 c from the orderedsubset 85. In other words, in these example embodiments, the user may,for example, log into a web interface for the account and delete the PIMentry 86 c. Additionally, the synchronization server 32 may beconfigured to store mapping configuration data, for example, as aplurality of Extensible Markup Language (XML) files. The method ends atBlock 49.

Usefully, the synchronization server 32 may provide an approach to theproblem of where the PIM capabilities of the respective mobile wirelesscommunications device 35 c and the Email server 31 c do not match,thereby causing the user inconvenience when conflicts occur. Inparticular, when the user deletes a PIM entry 86 c in the ordered subset85, the typical mobile device presents a useless blank field, even whenthe ordered master set 80 has several more PIM entries 81 a-81 d. Thedisplay at mobile wireless communications device 35 c of one those PIMentries, instead of the blank field, would be useful, as the user wouldhave an additional PIM entry for use on the mobile wirelesscommunications device 35 c. The synchronization server 32 may provide anapproach to this problem.

Example components of a mobile wireless communications device that maybe used in accordance with an example embodiment are further describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 5-8. Generally speaking, a mobile devicemay be configured according to an IT policy. It should be noted that theterm IT policy, in general, refers to a collection of IT policy rules,in which the IT policy rules can be defined as being either grouped ornon-grouped and global or per-user. The terms grouped, non-grouped,global and per-user are defined further below. Examples of applicablecommunication devices include pagers, cellular phones, cellularsmart-phones, wireless organizers, personal digital assistants,computers, laptops, handheld wireless communication devices, wirelesslyenabled notebook computers and the like.

The mobile device is a two-way communication device with advanced datacommunication capabilities including the capability to communicate withother mobile devices or computer systems through a network oftransceiver stations. The mobile device may also have the capability toallow voice communication. Depending on the functionality provided bythe mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, atwo-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, awireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device (with orwithout telephony capabilities). To aid the reader in understanding thestructure of the mobile device and how it communicates with otherdevices and host systems, reference will now be made to FIGS. 5-8.

Referring first to FIG. 5, shown therein is a block diagram of anexample embodiment of a mobile device 100. The mobile device 100includes a number of components such as a main processor 102 thatcontrols the overall operation of the mobile device 100. Communicationfunctions, including data and voice communications, are performedthrough a communication subsystem 104. The communication subsystem 104receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 200. Inthis example embodiment of the mobile device 100, the communicationsubsystem 104 is configured in accordance with the Global System forMobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS)standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is used worldwide and it isexpected that these standards will be superseded eventually by EnhancedData GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsService (UMTS). New standards are still being defined, but it isbelieved that they will have similarities to the network behaviordescribed herein, and it will also be understood by persons skilled inthe art that the example embodiments described herein are intended touse any other suitable standards that are developed in the future. Thewireless link connecting the communication subsystem 104 with thewireless network 200 represents one or more different Radio Frequency(RE) channels, operating according to defined protocols specified forGSM/GPRS communications. With newer network protocols, these channelsare capable of supporting both circuit switched voice communications andpacket switched data communications.

Although the wireless network 200 associated with mobile device 100 is aGSM/GPRS wireless network in one example implementation, other wirelessnetworks may also be associated with the mobile device 100 in variantimplementations. The different types of wireless networks that may beemployed include, for example, data-centric wireless networks,voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks that can supportboth voice and data communications over the same physical base stations.Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limited to, CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRS networks(as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G) networks likeEDGE and UMTS. Some other examples of data-centric networks include WiFi802.11, Mobitex™ and DataTAC™ network communication systems. Examples ofother voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems(PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)systems.

The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such asa Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110, anauxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a data port 114, a keyboard116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, short-range communications 122 andother device subsystems 124.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110and the keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over thenetwork 200, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist.

The mobile device 100 can send and receive communication signals overthe wireless network 200 after required network registration oractivation procedures have been completed. Network access is associatedwith a subscriber or user of the mobile device 100. To identify asubscriber, the mobile device 100 requires a SIM/RUIM card 126 (i.e.,Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module) to beinserted into a SIM/RUIM interface 128 in order to communicate with anetwork. The SIM card or RUIM 126 is one type of a conventional “smartcard” that can be used to identify a subscriber of the mobile device 100and to personalize the mobile device 100, among other things. Withoutthe SIM card 126, the mobile device 100 is not fully operational forcommunication with the wireless network 200. By inserting the SIMcard/RUIM 126 into the SIM/RUIM interface 128, a subscriber can accessall subscribed services. Services may include: web browsing andmessaging such as email, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS), andMultimedia Messaging Services (MMS). More advanced services may include:point of sale, field service and sales force automation. The SIMcard/RUIM 126 includes a processor and memory for storing information.Once the SIM card/RUIM 126 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM interface 128,it is coupled to the main processor 102. In order to identify thesubscriber, the SIM card/RUIM 126 can include some user parameters suchas an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage ofusing the SIM card/RUIM 126 is that a subscriber is not necessarilybound by any single physical mobile device. The SIM card/RUIM 126 maystore additional subscriber information for a mobile device as well,including date book (or calendar) information and recent callinformation. Alternatively, user identification information can also beprogrammed into the flash memory 108.

The mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a batteryinterface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130. Inat least some example embodiments, the battery 130 can be a smartbattery with an embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 132 iscoupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists the battery 130 inproviding power V+ to the mobile device 100. Although current technologymakes use of a battery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells mayprovide the power to the mobile device 100.

The mobile device 100 also includes an operating system 134 and softwarecomponents 136 to 146 which are described in more detail below. Theoperating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146 that areexecuted by the main processor 102 are typically stored in a persistentstore such as the flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that portions of the operating system134 and the software components 136 to 146, such as specific deviceapplications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as the RAM 106. Other software components can alsobe included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The subset of software applications 136 that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, willnormally be installed on the mobile device 100 during its manufacture.Other software applications include a message application 138 that canbe any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device100 to send and receive electronic messages. Various alternatives existfor the message application 138 as is well known to those skilled in theart. Messages that have been sent or received by the user are typicallystored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile device 100 or some othersuitable storage element in the mobile device 100. In at least someexample embodiments, some of the sent and received messages may bestored remotely from the device 100 such as in a data store of anassociated host system that the mobile device 100 communicates with.

The software applications can further include a device state module 140,a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 142, and other suitable modules(not shown). The device state module 140 provides persistence, i.e., thedevice state module 140 ensures that important device data is stored inpersistent memory, such as the flash memory 108, so that the data is notlost when the mobile device 100 is turned off or loses power.

The PIM 142 includes functionality for organizing and managing dataitems of interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, email,contacts, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. APIM application has the ability to send and receive data items via thewireless network 200. PIM data items may be seamlessly integrated,synchronized, and updated via the wireless network 200 with the mobiledevice subscriber's corresponding data items stored and/or associatedwith a host computer system. This functionality creates a mirrored hostcomputer on the mobile device 100 with respect to such items. This canbe particularly useful when the host computer system is the mobiledevice subscriber's office computer system.

The mobile device 100 also includes a connect module 144, and an ITpolicy module 146. The connect module 144 implements the communicationprotocols that are required for the mobile device 100 to communicatewith the wireless infrastructure and any host system, such as anenterprise system, that the mobile device 100 is authorized to interfacewith. Examples of a wireless infrastructure and an enterprise system arein FIGS. 7 and 8, which are described in more detail below.

The connect module 144 includes a set of APIs that can be integratedwith the mobile device 100 to allow the mobile device 100 to use anynumber of services associated with the enterprise system. The connectmodule 144 allows the mobile device 100 to establish an end-to-endsecure, authenticated communication pipe with the host system. A subsetof applications for which access is provided by the connect module 144can be used to pass IT policy commands from the host system to themobile device 100. This can be done in a wireless or wired manner. Theseinstructions can then be passed to the IT policy module 146 to modifythe configuration of the device 100. Alternatively, in some cases, theIT policy update can also be done over a wired connection.

The IT policy module 146 receives IT policy data that encodes the ITpolicy. The IT policy module 146 then ensures that the IT policy data isauthenticated by the mobile device 100. The IT policy data can then bestored in the flash memory 106 in its native form. After the IT policydata is stored, a global notification can be sent by the IT policymodule 146 to all of the applications residing on the mobile device 100.Applications for which the IT policy may be applicable then respond byreading the IT policy data to look for IT policy rules that areapplicable.

The IT policy module 146 can include a parser (not shown), which can beused by the applications to read the IT policy rules. In some cases,another module or application can provide the parser. Grouped IT policyrules, described in more detail below, are retrieved as byte streams,which are then sent (recursively, in a sense) into the parser todetermine the values of each IT policy rule defined within the groupedIT policy rule. In at least some example embodiments, the IT policymodule 146 can determine which applications are affected by the ITpolicy data and send a notification to only those applications. Ineither of these cases, for applications that aren't running at the timeof the notification, the applications can call the parser or the ITpolicy module 146 when they are executed to determine if there are anyrelevant IT policy rules in the newly received IT policy data.

All applications that support rules in the IT Policy are coded to knowthe type of data to expect. For example, the value that is set for the“WEP User Name” IT policy rule is known to be a string; therefore thevalue in the IT policy data that corresponds to this rule is interpretedas a string. As another example, the setting for the “Set MaximumPassword Attempts” IT policy rule is known to be an integer, andtherefore the value in the IT policy data that corresponds to this ruleis interpreted as such.

After the IT policy rules have been applied to the applicableapplications or configuration files, the IT policy module 146 sends anacknowledgement back to the host system to indicate that the IT policydata was received and successfully applied.

Other types of software applications can also be installed on the mobiledevice 100. These software applications can be third party applications,which are added after the manufacture of the mobile device 100. Examplesof third party applications include games, calculators, utilities, etc.

The additional applications can be loaded onto the mobile device 100through at least one of the wireless network 200, the auxiliary I/Osubsystem 112, the data port 114, the short-range communicationssubsystem 122, or any other suitable device subsystem 124. Thisflexibility in application installation increases the functionality ofthe mobile device 100 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the mobiledevice 100.

The data port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofthe mobile device 100 by providing for information or software downloadsto the mobile device 100 other than through a wireless communicationnetwork. The alternate download path may, for example, be used to loadan encryption key onto the mobile device 100 through a direct and thusreliable and trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables datacommunication between the mobile device 100 and another computingdevice. The data port 114 can be a serial or a parallel port. In someinstances, the data port 114 can be a USB port that includes data linesfor data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging currentto charge the battery 130 of the mobile device 100.

The short-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communicationbetween the mobile device 100 and different systems or devices, withoutthe use of the wireless network 200. For example, the subsystem 122 mayinclude an infrared device and associated circuits and components forshort-range communication. Examples of short-range communicationstandards include standards developed by the Infrared Data Association(IrDA), Bluetooth, and the 802.11 family of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an email message, orweb page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 104and input to the main processor 102. The main processor 102 will thenprocess the received signal for output to the display 110 oralternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. A subscriber may alsocompose data items, such as email messages, for example, using thekeyboard 116 in conjunction with the display 110 and possibly theauxiliary I/O subsystem 112. The auxiliary subsystem 112 may includedevices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprintdetector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing capability. Thekeyboard 116 is preferably an alphanumeric keyboard and/ortelephone-type keypad. However, other types of keyboards may also beused. A composed item may be transmitted over the wireless network 200through the communication subsystem 104.

For voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device 100is substantially similar, except that the received signals are output tothe speaker 118, and signals for transmission are generated by themicrophone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, can also be implemented on the mobiledevice 100. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through the speaker 118, the display 110 can also be used toprovide additional information such as the identity of a calling party,duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an example block diagram of the communicationsubsystem component 104 is shown. The communication subsystem 104includes a receiver 150, a transmitter 152, as well as associatedcomponents such as one or more embedded or internal antenna elements 154and 156, Local Oscillators (LOs) 158, and a processing module such as aDigital Signal Processor (DSP) 160. The particular design of thecommunication subsystem 104 is dependent upon the communication network200 with which the mobile device 100 is intended to operate. Thus, itshould be understood that the design illustrated in FIG. 6 serves onlyas one example.

Signals received by the antenna 154 through the wireless network 200 areinput to the receiver 150, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/Dconversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP160. In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed,including modulation and encoding, by the DSP 160. These DSP-processedsignals are input to the transmitter 152 for digital-to-analog (D/A)conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification andtransmission over the wireless network 200 via the antenna 156. The DSP160 not only processes communication signals, but also provides forreceiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied tocommunication signals in the receiver 150 and the transmitter 152 may beadaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithmsimplemented in the DSP 160.

The wireless link between the mobile device 100 and the wireless network200 can contain one or more different channels, typically different REchannels, and associated protocols used between the mobile device 100and the wireless network 200. An RF channel is a limited resource thatmust be conserved, typically due to limits in overall bandwidth andlimited battery power of the mobile device 100.

When the mobile device 100 is fully operational, the transmitter 152 istypically keyed or turned on only when it is transmitting to thewireless network 200 and is otherwise turned off to conserve resources.Similarly, the receiver 150 is periodically turned off to conserve poweruntil it is needed to receive signals or information (if at all) duringdesignated time periods.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram of an example implementation ofa node 202 of the wireless network 200 is shown. In practice, thewireless network 200 includes one or more nodes 202. In conjunction withthe connect module 144, the mobile device 100 can communicate with thenode 202 within the wireless network 200. In the example implementationof FIG. 7, the node 202 is configured in accordance with General PacketRadio Service (GPRS) and Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) technologies.The node 202 includes a base station controller (BSC) 204 with anassociated tower station 206, a Packet Control Unit (PCU) 208 added forGPRS support in GSM, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 210, a HomeLocation Register (HLR) 212, a Visitor Location Registry (VLR) 214, aServing GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 216, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)218, and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 220. This list ofcomponents is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the components ofevery node 202 within a GSM/GPRS network, but rather a list ofcomponents that are commonly used in communications through the network200.

In a GSM network, the MSC 210 is coupled to the BSC 204 and to alandline network, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 222to satisfy circuit switched requirements. The connection through the PCU208, the SGSN 216 and the GGSN 218 to a public or private network(Internet) 224 (also referred to herein generally as a shared networkinfrastructure) represents the data path for GPRS capable mobiledevices. In a GSM network extended with GPRS capabilities, the BSC 204also contains the Packet Control Unit (PCU) 208 that connects to theSGSN 216 to control segmentation, radio channel allocation and tosatisfy packet switched requirements. To track the location of themobile device 100 and availability for both circuit switched and packetswitched management, the HLR 212 is shared between the MSC 210 and theSGSN 216. Access to the VLR 214 is controlled by the MSC 210.

The station 206 is a fixed transceiver station and together with the BSC204 form fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiver equipmentprovides wireless network coverage for a particular coverage areacommonly referred to as a “cell.” The fixed transceiver equipmenttransmits communication signals to and receives communication signalsfrom mobile devices within its cell via the station 206. The fixedtransceiver equipment normally performs such functions as modulation andpossibly encoding and/or encryption of signals to be transmitted to themobile device 100 in accordance with particular, usually predetermined,communication protocols and parameters, under control of its controller.The fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possiblydecodes and decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals receivedfrom the mobile device 100 within its cell. Communication protocols andparameters may vary between different nodes. For example, one node mayemploy a different modulation scheme and operate at differentfrequencies than other nodes.

For all mobile devices 100 registered with a specific network, permanentconfiguration data such as a user profile is stored in the HLR 212. TheHLR 212 also contains location information for each registered mobiledevice and can be queried to determine the current location of a mobiledevice. The MSC 210 is responsible for a group of location areas andstores the data of the mobile devices currently in its area ofresponsibility in the VLR 214. Further, the VLR 214 also containsinformation on mobile devices that are visiting other networks. Theinformation in the VLR 214 includes part of the permanent mobile devicedata transmitted from the HLR 212 to the VLR 214 for faster access. Bymoving additional information from a remote HLR 212 node to the VLR 214,the amount of traffic between these nodes can be reduced so that voiceand data services can be provided with faster response times and at thesame time requiring less use of computing resources.

The SGSN 216 and the GGSN 218 are elements added for GPRS support,namely packet switched data support, within GSM. The SGSN 216 and theMSC 210 have similar responsibilities within the wireless network 200 bykeeping track of the location of each mobile device 100. The SGSN 216also performs security functions and access control for data traffic onthe wireless network 200. The GGSN 218 provides internetworkingconnections with external packet switched networks and connects to oneor more SGSN's 216 via an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone networkoperated within the network 200. During normal operations, a mobiledevice 100 must perform a “GPRS Attach” to acquire an IP address and toaccess data services. This requirement is not present in circuitswitched voice channels as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)addresses are used for routing incoming and outgoing calls. Currently,all GPRS capable networks use private, dynamically assigned IPaddresses, thus requiring the DHCP server 220 connected to the GGSN 218.There are many mechanisms for dynamic IP assignment, including using acombination of a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)server and a DHCP server. Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a logicalconnection is established from a mobile device 100, through the PCU 208,and the SGSN 216 to an Access Point Node (APN) within the GGSN 218. TheAPN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel that can either accessdirect Internet compatible services or private network connections. TheAPN also represents a security mechanism for the network 200, insofar aseach mobile device 100 must be assigned to one or more APNs and mobiledevices 100 cannot exchange data without first performing a GPRS Attachto an APN that it has been authorized to use. The APN may be consideredto be similar to an Internet domain name such as“myconnection.wireless.com.”

Once the GPRS Attach operation is complete, a tunnel is created and alltraffic is exchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol thatcan be supported in IP packets. This includes tunneling methods such asIP over IP as in the case with some IPSecurity (IPsec) connections usedwith Virtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels are also referred toas Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number ofthese available in the network 200. To maximize use of the PDP Contexts,the network 200 will run an idle timer for each PDP Context to determineif there is a lack of activity. When a mobile device 100 is not usingits PDP Context, the PDP Context can be de-allocated and the IP addressreturned to the IP address pool managed by the DHCP server 220.

Referring now to FIG. 8, shown therein is a block diagram illustratingcomponents of an example configuration of a host system 250 that themobile device 100 can communicate with in conjunction with the connectmodule 144. The host system 250 will typically be a corporate enterpriseor other local area network (LAN), but may also be a home officecomputer or some other private system, for example, in variantimplementations. In this example shown in FIG. 8, the host system 250 isdepicted as a LAN of an organization to which a user of the mobiledevice 100 belongs. Typically, a plurality of mobile devices cancommunicate wirelessly with the host system 250 through one or morenodes 202 of the wireless network 200.

The host system 250 includes a number of network components connected toeach other by a network 260. For instance, a user's desktop computer 262a with an accompanying cradle 264 for the user's mobile device 100 issituated on a LAN connection. The cradle 264 for the mobile device 100can be coupled to the computer 262 a by a serial or a Universal SerialBus (USB) connection, for example. Other user computers 262 b-262 n arealso situated on the network 260, and each may or may not be equippedwith an accompanying cradle 264. The cradle 264 facilitates the loadingof information (e.g., PIM data, private symmetric encryption keys tofacilitate secure communications) from the user computer 262 a to themobile device 100, and may be particularly useful for bulk informationupdates often performed in initializing the mobile device 100 for use.The information downloaded to the mobile device 100 may includecertificates used in the exchange of messages.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the usercomputers 262 a-262 n will typically also be connected to otherperipheral devices, such as printers, etc. which are not explicitlyshown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, only a subset of network components of thehost system 250 are shown in FIG. 5 for ease of exposition, and it willbe understood by persons skilled in the art that the host system 250will include additional components that are not explicitly shown in FIG.6 for this example configuration. More generally, the host system 250may represent a smaller part of a larger network (not shown) of theorganization, and may include different components and/or be arranged indifferent topologies than that shown in the example embodiment of FIG.8.

To facilitate the operation of the mobile device 100 and the wirelesscommunication of messages and message-related data between the mobiledevice 100 and components of the host system 250, a number of wirelesscommunication support components 270 can be provided. In someimplementations, the wireless communication support components 270 caninclude a message management server 272, a mobile data server 274, acontact server 276, and a device manager module 278. The device managermodule 278 includes an IT Policy editor 280 and an IT user propertyeditor 282, as well as other software components for allowing an ITadministrator to configure the mobile devices 100. In an alternativeexample embodiment, there may be one editor that provides thefunctionality of both the IT policy editor 280 and the IT user propertyeditor 282. The support components 270 also include a data store 284,and an IT policy server 286. The IT policy server 286 includes aprocessor 288, a network interface 290 and a memory unit 292. Theprocessor 288 controls the operation of the IT policy server 286 andexecutes functions related to the standardized IT policy as describedbelow. The network interface 290 allows the IT policy server 286 tocommunicate with the various components of the host system 250 and themobile devices 100. The memory unit 292 can store functions used inimplementing the IT policy as well as related data. Those skilled in theart know how to implement these various components. Other components mayalso be included as is well known to those skilled in the art. Further,in some implementations, the data store 284 can be part of any one ofthe servers.

In this example embodiment, the mobile device 100 communicates with thehost system 250 through node 202 of the wireless network 200 and ashared network infrastructure 224 such as a service provider network orthe public Internet. Access to the host system 250 may be providedthrough one or more routers (not shown), and computing devices of thehost system 250 may operate from behind a firewall or proxy server 266.The proxy server 266 provides a secure node and a wireless internetgateway for the host system 250. The proxy server 266 intelligentlyroutes data to the correct destination server within the host system250.

In some implementations, the host system 250 can include a wireless VPNrouter (not shown) to facilitate data exchange between the host system250 and the mobile device 100. The wireless VPN router allows a VPNconnection to be established directly through a specific wirelessnetwork to the mobile device 100. The wireless VPN router can be usedwith the Internet Protocol (IP) Version 6 (IPV6) and IP-based wirelessnetworks. This protocol can provide enough IP addresses so that eachmobile device has a dedicated IP address, making it possible to pushinformation to a mobile device at any time. An advantage of using awireless VPN router is that it can be an off-the-shelf VPN component,and does not require a separate wireless gateway and separate wirelessinfrastructure. A VPN connection can preferably be a TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP)/IP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP)/IP connectionfor delivering the messages directly to the mobile device 100 in thisalternative implementation.

Messages intended for a user of the mobile device 100 are initiallyreceived by a message server 268 of the host system 250. Such messagesmay originate from any number of sources. For instance, a message mayhave been sent by a sender from the computer 262 b within the hostsystem 250, from a different mobile device (not shown) connected to thewireless network 200 or a different wireless network, or from adifferent computing device, or other device capable of sending messages,via the shared network infrastructure 224, possibly through anapplication service provider (ASP) or Internet service provider (ISP),for example.

The message server 268 typically acts as the primary interface for theexchange of messages, particularly email messages, within theorganization and over the shared network infrastructure 224. Each userin the organization that has been set up to send and receive messages istypically associated with a user account managed by the message server268. Some example implementations of the message server 268 include aMicrosoft Exchange™ server, a Lotus Domino™ server, a Novell Groupwise™server, or another suitable mail server installed in a corporateenvironment. In some implementations, the host system 250 may includemultiple message servers 268. The message server 268 may also be adaptedto provide additional functions beyond message management, including themanagement of data associated with calendars and task lists, forexample.

When messages are received by the message server 268, they are typicallystored in a data store associated with the message server 268. In atleast some example embodiments, the data store may be a separatehardware unit, such as data store 284, that the message server 268communicates with. Messages can be subsequently retrieved and deliveredto users by accessing the message server 268. For instance, an emailclient application operating on a users computer 262 a may request theemail messages associated with that user's account stored on the datastore associated with the message server 268. These messages are thenretrieved from the data store and stored locally on the computer 262 a.The data store associated with the message server 268 can store copiesof each message that is locally stored on the mobile device 100.Alternatively, the data store associated with the message server 268 canstore all of the messages for the user of the mobile device 100 and onlya smaller number of messages can be stored on the mobile device 100 toconserve memory. For instance, the most recent messages (i.e., thosereceived in the past two to three months for example) can be stored onthe mobile device 100.

When operating the mobile device 100, the user may wish to have emailmessages retrieved for delivery to the mobile device 100. The messageapplication 138 operating on the mobile device 100 may also requestmessages associated with the user's account from the message server 268.The message application 138 may be configured (either by the user or byan administrator, possibly in accordance with an organization'sinformation technology (IT) policy) to make this request at thedirection of the user, at some pre-defined time interval, or upon theoccurrence of some pre-defined event. In some implementations, themobile device 100 is assigned its own email address, and messagesaddressed specifically to the mobile device 100 are automaticallyredirected to the mobile device 100 as they are received by the messageserver 268.

The message management server 272 can be used to specifically providesupport for the management of messages, such as email messages, that areto be handled by mobile devices. Generally, while messages are stillstored on the message server 268, the message management server 272 canbe used to control when, if, and how messages are sent to the mobiledevice 100. The message management server 272 also facilitates thehandling of messages composed on the mobile device 100, which are sentto the message server 268 for subsequent delivery.

For example, the message management server 272 may monitor the user's“mailbox” (e.g., the message store associated with the user's account onthe message server 268) for new email messages, and apply user-definablefilters to new messages to determine if and how the messages are relayedto the user's mobile device 100. The message management server 272 mayalso compress and encrypt new messages (e.g., using an encryptiontechnique such as Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, orAdvanced Encryption Standard (AES)) and push them to the mobile device100 via the shared network infrastructure 224 and the wireless network200. The message management server 272 may also receive messagescomposed on the mobile device 100 (e.g., encrypted using Triple DES),decrypt and decompress the composed messages, re-format the composedmessages if desired so that they will appear to have originated from theuser's computer 262 a, and re-route the composed messages to the messageserver 268 for delivery.

Certain properties or restrictions associated with messages that are tobe sent from and/or received by the mobile device 100 can be defined(e.g., by an administrator in accordance with IT policy) and enforced bythe message management server 272. These may include whether the mobiledevice 100 may receive encrypted and/or signed messages, minimumencryption key sizes, whether outgoing messages must be encrypted and/orsigned, and whether copies of all secure messages sent from the mobiledevice 100 are to be sent to a pre-defined copy address, for example.

The message management server 272 may also be adapted to provide othercontrol functions, such as only pushing certain message information orpre-defined portions (e.g., “blocks”) of a message stored on the messageserver 268 to the mobile device 100. For example, in some cases, when amessage is initially retrieved by the mobile device 100 from the messageserver 268, the message management server 272 may push only the firstpart of a message to the mobile device 100, with the part being of apre-defined size (e.g., 2 KB). The user can then request that more ofthe message be delivered in similar-sized blocks by the messagemanagement server 272 to the mobile device 100, possibly up to a maximumpredefined message size. Accordingly, the message management server 272facilitates better control over the type of data and the amount of datathat is communicated to the mobile device 100, and can help to minimizepotential waste of bandwidth or other resources.

The mobile data server 274 encompasses any other server that storesinformation that is relevant to the corporation. The mobile data server274 may include, but is not limited to, databases, online data documentrepositories, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, orenterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.

The contact server 276 can provide information for a list of contactsfor the user in a similar fashion as the address book on the mobiledevice 100. Accordingly, for a contact, the contact server 276 caninclude the name, phone number, work address and email address of thecontact, among other information. The contact server 276 can alsoprovide a global address list that contains the contact information forall of the contacts associated with the host system 250.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the messagemanagement server 272, the mobile data server 274, the contact server276, the device manager module 278, the data store 284 and the IT policyserver 286 do not need to be implemented on separate physical serverswithin the host system 250. For example, some or all of the functionsassociated with the message management server 272 may be integrated withthe message server 268, or some other server in the host system 250.Alternatively, the host system 250 may include multiple messagemanagement servers 272, particularly in variant implementations where alarge number of mobile devices need to be supported.

Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the IT policy server 286 canprovide the IT policy editor 280, the IT user property editor 282 andthe data store 284. In some cases, the IT policy server 286 can alsoprovide the device manager module 278. The processor 288 of the ITpolicy server 286 can be used to perform the various steps of a methodfor providing IT policy data that is customizable on a per-user basis.The processor 288 can execute the editors 280 and 282. In some cases,the functionality of the editors 280 and 282 can be provided by a singleeditor. In some cases, the memory unit 292 can provide the data store284.

The device manager module 278 provides an IT administrator with agraphical user interface with which the IT administrator interacts toconfigure various settings for the mobile devices 100. As mentioned, theIT administrator can use IT policy rules to define behaviors of certainapplications on the mobile device 100 that are permitted such as phone,web browser or Instant Messenger use. The IT policy rules can also beused to set specific values for configuration settings that anorganization requires on the mobile devices 100 such as auto signaturetext, WLAN/VoIP/VPN configuration, security requirements (e.g.,encryption algorithms, password rules, etc.), specifying themes orapplications that are allowed to run on the mobile device 100, and thelike.

Many modifications and other example embodiments will come to the mindof one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presentedin the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, itis understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specificexample embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and exampleembodiments are intended to be included.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A communication system comprising: a mobilewireless communications device associated with an account including anumerically ordered master set of personal information manager (PIM)entries for a type of PIM data; the mobile wireless communicationsdevice configured to store a numerically ordered subset corresponding tothe numerically ordered master set of PIM entries for the type of PIMdata, the numerically ordered subset having fewer PIM entries than thenumerically ordered master set; and a synchronization server (32)configured to synchronize the mobile wireless communications device andthe account by mapping at least one PIM entry from the numericallyordered master set to fill the numerically ordered subset responsive todeletion of a PIM entry from the numerically ordered subset, thenumerically ordered subset being reordered with the filled in at leastone PIM entry from the numerically ordered master set to avoid blank PIMentries.
 2. The communication system according to claim 1 wherein thetype of PIM data comprises one of an email address and a telephonenumber.
 3. The communication system according to claim 1 wherein themobile wireless communications device is configured to delete the PIMentry from the numerically ordered subset based upon a command.
 4. Thecommunication system according to claim 1 wherein the synchronizationserver is configured to detect the deletion of the PIM entry from thenumerically ordered subset.
 5. The communication system according toclaim 1 further comprising an email server configured to cooperate withthe synchronization server.
 6. The communication system according toclaim 5 wherein the email server comprises at least one of an InternetMessage Access Protocol (IMAP) email server, a Post Office Protocol(POP) email server, an Internet email server, and an Microsoft Exchangeemail server.
 7. The communication system according to claim 1 whereinthe synchronization server is configured to store mapping configurationdata for mapping entries between the numerically ordered master set andthe numerically ordered subset.
 8. The communication system according toclaim 7 wherein the synchronization server is configured to store themapping configuration data as a plurality of Extensible Markup Language(XML) files.
 9. A synchronization server in a communication systemcomprising a mobile wireless communications device associated with anaccount including a numerically ordered master set of personalinformation manager (PIM) entries for a type of PIM data, the mobilewireless communications device storing a numerically ordered subsetcorresponding to the numerically ordered master set of PIM entries forthe type of PIM data, the numerically ordered subset having fewer PIMentries than the numerically ordered master set, the synchronizationserver comprising: a memory having instructions stored therein; and aprocessor coupled to said memory and configured to perform theinstructions to synchronize the mobile wireless communications deviceand the account by mapping at least one PIM entry from the numericallyordered master set to fill the numerically ordered subset responsive todeletion of a PIM entry from the numerically ordered subset, thenumerically ordered subset being reordered with the filled in at leastone PIM entry from the numerically ordered master set to avoid blank PIMentries.
 10. The synchronization server according to claim 9 wherein thetype of PIM data comprises one of an email address and a telephonenumber.
 11. The synchronization server according to claim 9 wherein theprocessor is configured to detect the deletion of the PIM entry from thenumerically ordered subset.
 12. The synchronization server according toclaim 9 wherein the processor is configured to store mappingconfiguration data.
 13. The synchronization server according to claim 12wherein the processor is configured to store the mapping configurationdata as a plurality of Extensible Markup Language (XML) files.
 14. Amethod of operating a communication system comprising a synchronizationserver, and a mobile wireless communications device associated with anaccount including a numerically ordered master set of personalinformation manager (PIM) entries for a type of PIM data, the mobilewireless communications device storing a numerically ordered subsetcorresponding to the numerically ordered master set of PIM entries forthe type of PIM data, the numerically ordered subset having fewer PIMentries than the numerically ordered master set, the method comprising:using the synchronization server to synchronize the mobile wirelesscommunications device and the account by mapping at least one PIM entryfrom the numerically ordered master set to fill the numerically orderedsubset responsive to deletion of a PIM entry from the numericallyordered subset, the numerically ordered subset being reordered with thefilled in at least one PIM entry from the numerically ordered master setto avoid blank PIM entries.
 15. The method according to claim 14 whereinthe type of PIM data comprises one of an email address and a telephonenumber.
 16. The method according to claim 14 further comprising usingthe mobile wireless communications device to delete the PIM entry fromthe numerically ordered subset based upon a command.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 14 further comprising using the synchronizationserver to detect the deletion of the PIM entry from the numericallyordered subset.
 18. The method according to claim 14 further comprisingusing the synchronization server to synchronize the mobile wirelesscommunications device with the account on an email server.
 19. Themethod according to claim 18 wherein the email server comprises at leastone of an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) email server, a PostOffice Protocol (POP) email server, an Internet email server, and anMicrosoft Exchange email server.
 20. The method according to claim 14further comprising using the synchronization server to store mappingconfiguration data.
 21. The method according to claim 20 furthercomprising using the synchronization server to store the mappingconfiguration data as a plurality of Extensible Markup Language (XML)files.